Understanding Sustainability

Before it was
reduced to a pathetic marketing buzzword, sustainable
was one of the most powerful words in our language.It described a healthy and intelligent ideal,
a mode of living that could continue for thousands of years without causing
irreversible wreckage — a way of life that had a future.In an era when many “well educated” people
still refuse to acknowledge the reality of evolution, or the human contribution
to climate change, almost none have a competent understanding of ecological
sustainability.

Mainstream society
has taken us on a loony joyride in magical thinking; if we simply call something
“sustainable” enough times, then it is!In the blink of the eye, forest mining becomes Sustainable Forestry™ and
soil mining becomes Sustainable Agriculture™. In a barrage of oxymorons, business as usual
is kept on life support, by any means necessary, for as long as possible, while
the planet is mercilessly bludgeoned — the eco-blitzkrieg of Sustainable
Development™.

In the last century,
specialists have learned a great deal about ecology, environmental history, and
“primitive” low impact societies.This
body of vital information exists, but it has barely trickled down into
mainstream society.Our education system
largely remains stuck in the consumer era, training students to study hard, get
good jobs, climb the ladder of success, and shop till they drop.The consumer world remains paralyzed by a
pandemic of chronic ignorance, a curable pathology.A highly effective remedy is a bubbly elixir
called learning.It stimulates long,
beautiful, mind-expanding trips.

Humans are the proud
owners of legendary big brains, and some have special gifts for thinking
outside the box, and asking questions that really matter.Where can they find answers?The neighborhood library or bookstore is
unlikely to have a wide variety of books on ecological sustainability,
environmental history, and environmental anthropology.

Understanding
Sustainability is a collection of 74 short and readable reviews of
sustainability-related books, including a number of classics.It’s a gallery of thinkers, scholars, and
ideas intended to explore important notions that are routinely swept under the
carpet.It’s a book for pilgrims who are
critical thinkers hungry for stimulating ideas.It’s a tool catalog for those who feel a calling to learn and help
others.

Understanding
Sustainability provides no quick and easy cures for the mega-disease,
but it boosts our immune system, so we are less likely to be infected by
pathological beliefs or daffy nonsense.It exposes us to other possibilities.It affirms our uncomfortable suspicions that our culture is terminally
ill, and assures us that we are not crazy, our culture is.

Understanding
Sustainability is available as a modestly priced paperback, or as a bargain
priced Kindle download.At the Amazon
page for this book, the Look Inside feature is enabled, which allows you to
examine the table of contents, and view sample sections.Kindle downloads can be read on your
computer, tablet, or phone using free software — you don’t need to buy a Kindle
gizmo.Amazon Prime members can “borrow”
the Kindle version from Amazon, free of charge.The paperback should be available via most independent booksellers. Approved booksellers can buy books at
wholesale prices via CreateSpace
Direct.